As the district schools supervisor, he was in charge of the members of the Board of Election Inspectors in a poor province in Mindanao. Since he is about to retire, he chose not to serve this time; he just supervised the teachers who were members of the Board.

In a certain town, teachers under his supervision alleged that no elections took place. They were forced to fill up the ballots with names of candidates affiliated with the current dispensation. These teachers were courageous enough to get the news out.

With the culture that is pervasive in the province, where going against the elder’s command is almost a crime, these teachers knew their lives are in danger. For that, their courage is admirable. Their courage would probably be just another footnote in the history of that province, but the province is not an ordinary one, so to speak.

The province has been in the media spotlight since the 2004 elections. With the elections director for the province involved in a wiretapping scandal, many doubted whether the results would be credible. With poll watch groups claiming that they were barred from election precints and canvassing centers, the problems were just beginning to mount.

And when the purported results pointed to a sweep by the team affiliated with the current dispensation, everything began to fall apart. The election operators were desperate to prove that nothing irregular happened, and they are even asking BEI members to sign affidavits to prove that no fraud happened. The district supervisor refused to sign. The refusal was to be his death warrant.

Classes in the primary and secondary levels had started. The district supervisor was in a Madrasah (Islamic school) at another province Saturday night, eating his dinner. The light went out, shots were heard, and he was dead.

And that is how justice is served in this country.

Musa Demasidsing is just one statistic for the Commission on Elections, the Philippine National Police, and the Fortress by the Pasig. Nothing would probably come out of his death, like those unsolved murders of yore. His death is probably a simple murder, relegated to the provincial news in a national paper, if not for the circumstance leading to his death.

His death is a warning to those who will testify against poll fraud. The truth shall set you free, hence it must be killed.

His death is a sign of what is wrong with this country. As our concept of civic-consciousness dies because we tend to think by the stomach, this death is just that – a death. We no longer rage at the evil of murder, we no longer rage at poll cheaters, we no longer care at all.

And because of that, his death might be in vain.

“Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”
-Dylan Thomas, Do not go gentle into that good night

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I just find it sad that while googling for his name, I only found two entries: as in Google gave me two entries only:

(In response to Tingog.com’s writing project.)